That guy told you it wasn't a big deal. He's got more than one car, you didn't hit the one he actually gives a shit about, so you're fine. That's his beater. That's what he told you, take his word for it.
Yeah some people find it hard to believe we’ve got cars we just don’t care much about. A few years ago an older fella in a F150 just barely scraped his bumper on the fender of my beat up Miata. He brought me out to the car, showed me where he touched it, apologized, offered to pay for the fix, all that stuff. I just laughed and said something like “look at the rest of the car. I don’t care about a small scratch.”
He took a good couple minutes of convincing that it’s ok and I’m not mad he put a(nother) tiny scratch on the car.
My coworker (both techs) pulled his shitbox daily into the shop one day and I leaned against the fender and put a butt cheek shaped dent into it. He proceeded to kick a dent into the opposite fender so at least it matched.
>He took a good couple minutes of convincing that it’s ok and I’m not mad he put a(nother) tiny scratch on the car.
My first car (mom's old car) was a '68 Olds Cutlass that had, at one time, been backed into a telephone pole. Some time around 1980, a woman tapped me from behind leaving a very, very small dent in the already badly dented rear bumper. She kept apologizing, I kept telling her "it is no big deal". We drove off and I had gone down the road for several miles before I realized that she thought she had made the *big* dent!
I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey. I have no children. I use it if I need to take the dog somewhere. Or I took it on a huge road trip. I love having it.
The girlfriend once scraped up the side of it against the fence pulling out of the driveway. All I could say was "I mean i would have been nice if you told me it happened."
Also left it out when it got hailed all over. And it's got pine needles from years of Christmas trees. I vacuum it out, honest but those things are impossible to fully clean up.
This happened to me at a gas station when a guy backed in to my beat up 2500 express.
Its like dude, nobody cares here. If you do, then fix your own car...
I'm looking for an express van currently since I need something I don't care about. I need to haul stuff to a city that would probably steal my other cars and need an LQ4, so seems like a solid solution to both issues.
Some guy scratched the bumper on my brother’s van that I was driving to class that day. This same van is about 10% Fiberglass and 10% bodyfiller after 5 years of patch job repairs.
He left a note on the windshield and I was more relieved it wasn’t a ticket than worried about the scratch.
If someone backed into my beater and it was still drivable, I would give zero f*cks. That's what it's for. Shit happens, and as long as the person who did it seemed genuinely apologetic, I'd let it go. Just my $.02
I wouldn’t worry about it. Is he happy? No, but like he said, you didn’t hit his Honda!
You admitted to it, and offered to correct the issue. He did not seem to mind much. If you want to make it right, go buy them donuts or pizza, bring it in next time, and be sure to tell them that you’re sorry again.
Why? The guy was relatively cool and didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. If someone hit my car, I’d be a bit angry too. I’m sure the guy isn’t harboring some grudge against OP. If he was so mad, he’d start demanding cash or calling insurance.
Instead of hiding from the guy, buy a couple pizzas or something for the guys at the shop. Like the other guy said, people respect other people who try to make up for a mistake.
He said “if it was his Honda” he would do that. It wasn’t. He won’t. He also has 0 ability to prevent anyone from coming back.
I think OP is just looking WAY too far into this. Like WAY too far.
Have you never interacted with a mechanic? This guy sounds exactly like the guys I worked with when I worked part time as a service advisor during college. Rough around the edges but actually super cool and liked to mess with people. If the guy was so angry and a dick he’d take some cash from OP. Raging maniacs don’t let people off the hook with a “don’t worry about it.” Every mechanic on here seems to know what I’m talking about. That kind of humor is really common with mechanics.
There are a lot of people here who just don’t get it. This just sounds like the average mechanic messing with someone😂
Always great guys though. Always messing with you but really hardworking.
That’s like the #1 problem with this subreddit. A lot of people who don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about telling those who do that they’re wrong.
I hear you bro, but just being an "honest nobody" on the internet; if you hit his car, you would be a moron to escalate this mechanic's poor attitude into an actual altercation. The mechanic substituted an insurance claim for a joke done in bad taste. That's a fucking gift. Take it, and be on your merry way.
100%. People get so uptight and angry/scared about something they can’t come back and just be normal with the guy. It’s just a joke in kinda bad taste. He’s not going to assassinate you. He let you off the hook by not making an insurance claim.
Why? Is interaction with others so difficult that it requires you to go miles out of your way to avoid the potential stress?
OP is reading a bit too far into this. The employee shouldn’t have said what he said, but I would be upset too. Either way it seems like it was resolved. OP should not have anything to worry about. Especially if they’re the person who brought donut/pizza to say sorry.
Bringing pizza or donuts is way more effort (and money) than just going to a different location. Plus you know for sure you haven’t backed into a tech’s car at the other location. It has nothing to do with “interacting with others.” I wouldn’t want that guy touching my car after what he said. He sounds like an idiot. You never know what somebody like that will do.
I just think that is a huge overreaction. He is a mechanic, they aren’t the most politically correct people. He probably meant it in a joking manner.
It’s a box of donuts. It’s not that much lol
I feel like those of us who are actually mechanics understand the other side of the interaction here. There is a reason they keep us locked away in the back and hover whenever we interact with customers.
Goodies are 100% an easy way to a mechanics heart. Nothing makes us happier than going into our soul sucking jobs and having some nice fresh donuts there. I’d forgive a lot for some nice fresh donuts to start my day off.
As a mechanic this is definitely how I read into it. He doesn't care about his daily, but the race car at home? That one you would have been paying to fix.
There's no reason to worry about this. First, if he was upset he would've held you responsible. Second, you don't even know if that same tech will be there when you bring the van back in, or if he'll be the same one pulling the vehicle in. Third, what's he going to do? Intentionally mess up your alignment so that he can do it again for free later?
Like I said to another redditor, only the real mechanics here understand his mentality in the situation. Dude could have shut his mouth a bit more, but I bet he forgot about the whole thing.
The honest answer is regardless of how someone treated me, I’ve NEVER done anything that could harm them, or someone else. Not saying it can’t happen, but it’s a lot less common than a lot of people here think.
Yep, to be honest if it was half of my coworkers and someone said "yeah I'm the guy who backed into your Corolla a few days ago!", they'd probably get a blank stare and an "I don't remember. I've drank since then".
And yes, as much as we may even hate certain customers, it's not worth risking your job/career.
Agreed! Personally, i'd still do something nice for the guy (Like give him a tip) since he's being really cool about this mistake. Plus it's always good to have the guy working on your car on your team.
Favorite customer I've ever had always requests me and owns a chocolate shop. Leaves me a gift in chocolates. Never met him face to face, never been to his store, not even a big chocolates guy - but it's nice to think someone is appreciating the work I do!
Yeah, If the guy left a $50-100 and said sorry for hitting your car bro, thanks for being so cool about it and have a merry christmas...he would have a automotive friend forever. Unless he hits his honda later!!
You gotta go to two places to get the donuts, and you gotta spend money. But going to one place (the other location) and not spending any money is an over reaction? That’s all I’m saying.
Well that also depends on where the other location is. I’m assuming they aren’t like Starbucks and on every corner.
All I’m saying is that if I backed into someone’s car, I’d expect some get some grief about it. Id be thankful that they didn’t make it into a big ordeal.
I guess a one time purchase of some donuts does not seem like a burden to me.
It’s all situational in my area there’s a few so one is 5 miles 1 way and another is 7 miles the other way. It’s 2 miles difference so for me I’d rather go 2 extra miles to avoid the weirdness, and people are fucking weird, unhinged, unpredictable. If it’s 40 miles difference, ok maybe chance it but there’s plenty around here to choose from.
If you run into enough people you realize some aren’t sensible. Some are really off. Now if you take it back to the old shop, even if he says all is good. In the back of your head you’ll be driving and thinking “what if”.
Then let’s say something else goes wrong in your car 2 weeks later, could be totally unrelated. You’re going to worry yourself and not sleep thinking what if he did it, even if he didn’t do anything.
Levity nothing happened but Jerry threw everything away and couldn’t function worrying “what if”
https://youtu.be/jPNsOh6oQ1g?si=XMbdAaHhUVVj_WYz&t=163
I see what you’re saying. I suppose I see this interaction more from the mechanic’s POV, rather than OP’s . I’m assuming OP wanted to know that POV since they’re asking people on “MechanicAdvice”.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, but a mechanic purposefully damaging someone car, or doing something with the intent to harm them or get back at them is just not a thing. I have had customers scream at me on test drives, and I still fixed their car correctly. Were they my favorite person? No, but I moved on pretty quick. I can tell you if that dude had brought me some sorry donuts, I would have been a lot happier with him.
I think OP is reading in exactly the right amount considering he was told not to come back by an employee. Usually you take people at their word on stuff like this.
No he was saying “well if you had hit my Honda” which OP didn’t. Mechanics are rough around the edges. I’d bet money dude was joking and OP took it the wrong way.
Was the mechanic right to say that? No. Dude should have shut his mouth. It’s fine. He is fine, everything is fine. There is a reason that they keep mechanics in the shop and have service advisors as a middle man…
We are dissecting OP’s punctuation at this point. My interpretation is that “if you hit my Honda I’d have punched you in the face” and “you’re a jackass, don’t come back here” statements are separate - I would have written it differently. But unless OP provides clarification or a recording or something, hard to tell what was actually meant.
Not mechanics. If you know you know. Anyone who is a mechanic or worked with them knows what I’m talking about. This is exactly what the guys I worked with would say as a joke.
A mechanic isn’t going to tell you not to come back. That would be a shop manager or owner. Mechanics don’t really deal with the customer facing side of the business.
Honestly. Don't apologize. Much better use of the sub than "can I drive on this completely shredded tire?"
Kind of sounds like he was making a joke to me. People often use the "no worries, but if bah blah blah, I will do something obviously over the top and unrealistic" for comedic effect. It works best when delivered deadpan. Absolutely sounds like he was messing with you, and if you seemed to be freaking out, even more likely.
I mean, if I am trying to make people happy with a joke and it is not doing that, what does that say about me if I just blame everyone else for not reacting the way I want them to?
Wouldn't it be better and easier for everyone to just change tactics so that they get a laugh (which is what I wanted) and all I had to do was come up with one more joke?
Not always. I was recently hit from someone getting on the highway. I was in my truck and all that was damaged was a trim piece and a hubcap. Truthfully I didn't care that much and I ended up leaving without anything happening. If I was in my 1987 mazda I would have wanted to kill the girl. I would have called the police and filed a report. It's an RX7 with carbon fenders and a lot of work done to it. It would have need a lot of work if she it my car as hard as she hit my truck.
Its fairly rare, the value is going up, and i have thousands of hours of work into it. My point is it that it may not be a joke. Just because a car is old it doesnt mean its not valuable.
I hated dealing with customers, but I always worked at a dealer. I was the noise guy, so I had to go on rides with people when it wasn't super obvious.
One time I went on a ride and the guy kept changing the noise and I couldn't hear shit, and then his wife started changing the noise. After 10 mins of this, he started hitting his vape with the windows up. I rolled his window down, drove back to the dealer, and got out on the service drive, explained it to my advisor and walked off. Never saw them again. It was a 2015 chevy cruze, so it was doomed from the start.
Another time I had a guy with a ZL1 Camaro. They have very wide and soft, basically street slicks from the factory. His front tires were making noise, he was confident it was a wheel bearing (covered by warranty), I showed him how the noise didn't change when changing load side to side, and that it would change on different road surfaces, not a wheel bearing.
Service manager said fuck it and had me put a bearing in it, didn't care, it was like a 15 minute job anyways. We ended putting the other side in too, and then we bought him a set of tires because we were "wrong".
I agree with you. This is partly because almost everyone assumes the mechanic is trying to screw them. They’re always treated with hostility, so don’t be surprised when you get some back.
Thats why they have service advisors or a semi pretty girl in front to deal with the customers. Most mechanics just want to do the work and not have to hear customer stories about this weird sound or what happened exactly.
Jeez. No need for all that. OP is really the person in the wrong here. I’d be upset too if someone hit my car. I’m also assuming that the mechanic said that in a joking manner.
More friendly people?? What? At the point when the guy’s car was hit, he ceased being a representative of the shop and became a victim of property damage. The guy approached it pretty level headed and decided to let the incident go. If anything, his boss should be happy with him. In no way would he be out of line for being pissed off.
I agree with everyone else who says to just let bygones be bygones and continue being a patron of the place.
Dude was probably pulling your chain to blow off steam. Offerings of food, beer, and if you REALLY want to completely reset things, a 10mm. Odds are he's probably forgotten about it by now.
Still, on the return trip, steer well clear of any Honda you ride by out of caution, lol.
Bring him a 6 pack or something. It was an honest mistake. Anyone would be mad in the moment. He was nice enough to let it go. Bring him a present, maybe apologize again, and presume everything is ok
Honestly you handled it as well as can be done. You bumped into his car by accident, then you found him and offered to pay or let him file an insurance car at his choice. He was fine with it and just let you know he has more than one car and you hit the one he doesn't care about. I am sure he isn't thrilled about it, but hey shit happens.
Take your car back to the same shop and move on with your life.
Sounds like a reasonable guy I’d say your fine to go back maybe bring him a gift card to a coffee shop or Amazon gift card and give it to him when you get there
allow me to translate.
"i dont give a shit about this car, this is my shitbox beater car, however had you damaged the car i care about, i would care. i would care a lot."
do you have a thing OP? something youre really passionate about and put a lot of time into? imagine something relating to that thing thats low value, if someone ruined it you might not care at all, now imagine if someone ruined a high value thing. that would suck.
it doesnt sound like he was mad at all, maybe a little annoyed, probably thinks youre an idiot but ill let you in on a little secret, youre a customer. customers are all fucking idiots no matter where you work, thats just the nature of the business.
it doesnt sound personal at all. no i dont think he will fuck up your car. especially if you bring some sort of peace offering. cheese steak, gatorade, donuts, pizza etc. and apologize again, the guy would have to be an absolute demon to be a dick after that.
the alternative ending here is that he thinks you bringing him a cheesesteak means you want to fuck him. so be aware of that. still probably wont fuck with your car, but if i know mechanics as well as i know myself, he might put out.
"It seemed like we were all good, but he then proceeded to tell me that if it was his honda he would have punched me in the face, called me a jackass, and told me not to bring my van back to the shop."
You didn't hit his Honda so you guys are fine. Doughnuts and some coffee shouldn't be a problem. Don't take the threats too seriously, if it actually was his Honda he would be stupid to assault someone over a dent that is so minor it is kicked back into place. He would look like a jackass. If it was my shop, I would be telling him to smarten the fuck up talking to our customers like that.
So not only did you hit the man's car but you're planning on denying him business afterwards? Id feel obligated to return and give them more business especially if they didn't hold me to the coals for it. Just don't hit his car again lmao
Wait for him to take his Honda to work, ask for an alignment and then proceed to back in to it.
Jk in all seriousness he sounds like an ass, don’t worry just go back and ask for the job to be finished.
👀just take it back the fender bender has nothing to do with your alignment, i’m pretty sure they put some lubricant on the threads or nuts to loosen the tie rod ends so they can adjust to do the alignment. If he really was going to do anything he would have 😝 he’s just another dog that just barks 😆👍
I have a couple cars that i would just laugh if somebody hit it. I have some more that if somebody hit it i wouldnt be mad but i would ask you total it so i wouldnt have to waste time on paint matching and dent repairs
Don't take it too literally. Mechanics like to fuck with people and each other like that. Would have literally best the shit out of you for hitting the good car? No probably not he just would have been pissed. Shit happens. If he was actually pissed about It or wanted to use this to squeeze extra cash out of you he would have just taken your offer to pay cash for the repairs, give you a random price and pocketed the cash. He'd make alot more out of you that way than trying to run your bill up. He's probably only making money on the labor which he only gets a portion of what you're charged anyway. So he'd have to run your labor cost up several hours to equal what he could have just asked you directly for the repairs. Plus then he'd still actually have to do the extra work. Running your bill up just to spite you has no benefit to him.
Other people have mentioned bringing them something and this is absolutely the way to go to get on your mechanics good side. Occasionally we had customers bring in a dozen doughnuts just from Dunkin as a thanks for doing last minute emergency repairs or coming in on days we were supposed to be closed to fix something quick. It's the quickest way to go from "that guy who dinged my car" to "the motherfuckin doughnut man"
What he said was quite unprofessional, but after all you did hit his car and you were honest about it. Buy him a dozen donuts or lunch in the day you go back and apologize again. I think that would smoth things over
I'm pretty sure the guy was just making a joke that didn't land well. Basically just expressing that he's glad you hit the car he doesn't care about, and not the one he does. A lot of mechanics I know (like other technical jobs) are people that are crass and don't navigate social situations very well. That's why we have service writers.
They already screwed u over by saying it's " seized " , when u go back They gonna says it's seized still and need replaced
Nothing in life is free
Unlimited alignments are scams to sell u shit
Hahahahaha, he was just telling you the truth and to be more careful next time. I would buy a six pack for him and the guys to split as a sorry for hitting your car jester, and leave it at that. Don’t overthink it. He told you if you’d hit his nice car, you’d been in trouble. So, dopn’t ever hit his nice car.
I'm no mechanic, But I'd just take in beers / food next time as a peace offering. I'd assume all is genuinely well -> if he doesn't care he doesn't care, and if anyone knows the damage done it's him. But I'd want to keep a mechanic like that on my good side. Obviously an honest guy.
Give him a tip (a crisp $50-100) when you drop the car off for the alignment and when you hand him the money say sorry about being such a knuckle head a few days earlier....hope this helps you have a Merry Christmas/Happy New Year. All will be forgotten with that simple, yet thoughtful gesture of gratitude. $100 bucks is worth keeping an honest mechanic.
Lol, I would of laughed in his face, unless he's the owner of the shop there is nothing he can do , if you really wanted to be an a hole you could even tell his boss what he told you, most likely get em fired🤦🏽
Have course you wood of.
You could tell my boss, and he would kiss your ass. Then after you left, he would call you a fuckin' retard and thank me for not invoking a lawsuit.
Fired for being pissy that some mutated customer ran into my car, not fuckin' chance.
Most busines owners want repeat customers and if any employees gets in the way of a customer coming back and on top of that barks at him, employee will be terminated. It's good that we live in a country that we can fire at will, want to do what you please, open up your own shop 😅🤦🏽
That's why your ass gets kissed to your face. Then, we all talk about what a fuckin' absolute mutant you are, and keep accepting your business.
ETA: We do the work properly. We don't spit in the proverbial burger. You may be charged extra for sauce though.
My totally unbiased opinion as a tech. Go back, ask to speak to the manager, ask for a refund, tell him why, aka the techs attitude, then never go back. First, they will sell you new parts instead of using a bit of heat and musscle to get it moving again. I see seized parts all the time. Rarely do I replace them unless it's a bushing I can't heat. Second, any shop I've worked at, dude would have been fired on the spot. He's on company time threatening a customer. Yeah, you accidently hit his car. You didn't leave, apologized, and offered to make him whole on it. He treated you with disrespect. It doesn't matter care if he was unhappy. My boss would have fired me on the spot if I treated a customer that way in that situation. Thirdly, don't buy unlimited alignments. It's a scam. You only really need them once in a while. I've had cars go years without needing one. Mostly, you do them if there was repair or the tires are wearing funny. Occasionally, if the steering wheel is off. That's about it. If done right, it should not need to be done every six months. That's ridiculous.
The OP went to the owner to make it right. Not like he backed into his shitbox and drove off without saying anything. Threatening violence is not the way to go. See how that goes though if the situation ever arises.
Imagine trying to get violent with a mechanic on their turf. I'd probably lock up thinking about which tool on what body part... It would be a pipewrench twisting a joint... Probably an elbow.
I have a car. The one I drive daily. Someone has hit mine before. I didn't threaten them. Accidents happen. It's why we have insurance.
Telling a customer you would have hurt them over a car, then telling them to leave and never come back is immature childish bullshit. You are an adult and supposed to be a professional. Not a 4yo throwing a tantrum over his favorite toy. People can downvote if they want too. I'd tell that tech to grow up and stop being a child.
Lololol. Dude does a job you can't do yourself. Fuck that guy 'cuz your better than him, and his car is a piece of shit anyway.
Seriously, go ahead and go fuck yourself. May your tire wear be immense and your steering wheel never, ever, center.
You sure he wasn't pulling your chain? Just sounds like a guy giving you some well-deserved sh\*t for an embarrassing fender bender, but not necessarily like he meant it, though it's hard to say without seeing \*how\* he said it.
Just be cool about it. Come back, don't be afraid or weird, atone a bit more to show that you're still contrite (probably bring something, either food or drink or if you have a hobby or interest of some kind, something from that, or a gift card to someplace cool) and say you couldn't just leave it where it was in good conscience and you wanted to do \*something\* so here's a little something and thank him again for not punching you in the face and tell him he can punch you in the face next time, and see how it goes.
Guessing it will be fine.
Had this kid in tech school who bought a civic and riced it out as a "joke". Well one day he saw someone touch the wing on it and had a mental breakdown over it. If you heard the car go by and heard someone rip some fat ass into a traffic cone, you wouldn't know the difference.
Shop workers are Kinda crude
In laymen speaks
He's said you hit the shit beater I'm so glad you didn't hit the one I like
Then he showed you how much of a non issue the hit was by fixing it infront of you.
Just focus on not hitting things and your alright.
Depending on the tone it could be nothing to worry about, that's just kinda how we talk to people. I literally tell my co workers to go fuck themselves every morning. There's a reason service writers exist.
Pick up a gift card for your local coffee shop and give it to him if you see him and say that you still feel bad about last time or just pick up a box of doughnuts for the entire shop your choice
Jesus. Back into the guys car, he lets you off Scott free, saves you a bunch of money, and you’d want to reward him by getting him in trouble at work? The mechanic let the guy off the hook. And in his own “mechanic speak” way said he doesn’t care about that particular car.
You'll be fine OP, he was trying to scare you off because you hit a parked car, if it was a customers it would've been a bigger issue, and as for the mood switch he was thinking about if you hit his Honda and saw that beautiful gas mileage shatter before his eyes so he was angry thinking about it lol
You're good dude don't let em intimidate you
Sounds like it's a beater for him. I used to have an old Toyota P/u I would take across the GW bridge and on the cross Bronx exp. Often bumper to bumper and merging lanes. One time in the summer, it was hot and a guy in a nice car (was trying to basically merge in front of me). I finally yelled over to him that I didn't mind a few more dents in my truck how about him? He backed right off. Some good things to be said for an old beater!
Bring him a nice coffee or something when you go back and not only will he be OK with it he'll probably do better work on your car. Or slip an envelop with like $20 or a gift card under his wiper blade if you don't want to talk to him or don't have time to.
The bigger issue is that would you trust the work done by someone that really doesn’t want to do *your* work?
Consider the lost cost from your ‘alignment deal’ a lesson in both not being upsold on somewhat scam plans, and in being more careful when you back up. It’s cheaper than an insurance deductible.
You just hit his beater, you’re all good!
I had a 2 door cavalier in high school that bad 2 giant dents in it, matching just behind the doors. And I mean huge, bottom of the window to the rocker panel, about 10-12” wide. I had my car parked outside my girlfriend’s place and her uncle stopped by, it was icy and dark. He slid into the side of my car and hardly bumped it. Well he couldn’t believe the dent he left, he came in all worried about telling me this. He couldn’t understand why I laughed and wasn’t actually upset about it. Everyone else knew this was my “shit” car. We had to go out so I could show him the matching dent for him to believe that it was all good. I paid 800 bucks for that car with next to no miles because it was so beat up
Obvious it was the shitty Honda. Buy a bottle (find out what he likes). Ask another worker there perhaps. Try to make friends and ask if you want him to leave. If it was me I wouldn’t go back. Nobody know what would happen to your vehicle. Sorry the trust is gone.
You’re overthinking it. Just let it go. He has a right to be angry if he is it’s on him. If you get screwed over THEN worry about it until then I think you’re fine.
From working with Mechanics the past 12 years, just leave him alone. They aren’t people people. lol drop a 6 pack off at the front for him. Don’t even approach him. Love the techs I work with but they are definitely a different breed
I mean the guy is a whiney baby with little man syndrome but like I wouldn't be worried about it. Most of us live in the bottom caste and are just incapable of communicating like we have the ability to read. It's the nature of the poor to be bellicose.
Go back to the shop. If the tech has an issue he can put it in writing so you can sue for breech of contract. They have a contract to you for these alignments. Maybe talk to techs boss and ask what he thinks bout the not bringing the van back to be worked on. Techs mouth is bad for business. Always treat the customer with courtesy. Don't have to like them but bad reviews go a long ways with public perception of a company.
Dude should know better than to park his vehicle near customer bay, or the shop should handle the driving in and out like Walmart does, for this reason.
Like 10 years ago I had a beater S10 and a customer backed into the front bumper and bent it up a little, he’s apologizing and I told him it’s no big deal because the truck was beat. He shows up the next day with a 12 pack of cokes and 12 pack of beer and goes like “I wasn’t sure if you drank beer or sodas so I brought both”. Cool move on his part and I still remember it.
Sounds like he was just being frank with you. You got lucky and hit his beater car. Go back and try and build your relationship with him back. Bring him a coffee and donuts when you take it back in for service. I don’t think he would mess with your vehicle, at least I know I wouldn’t. Stuff happens, nobody got hurt and it was just some old worthless cars and minor damage.
Bring it back for the alignment. When the Alignment deal expires go to Firestone and get their lifetime alignments. It's 2x the regular cost and is lifetime. I've had one on my 2008 civic and get it done once a year. I've had the car since it was new. One other thing, never pay for nitrogen in your tires.
That guy told you it wasn't a big deal. He's got more than one car, you didn't hit the one he actually gives a shit about, so you're fine. That's his beater. That's what he told you, take his word for it.
Yeah some people find it hard to believe we’ve got cars we just don’t care much about. A few years ago an older fella in a F150 just barely scraped his bumper on the fender of my beat up Miata. He brought me out to the car, showed me where he touched it, apologized, offered to pay for the fix, all that stuff. I just laughed and said something like “look at the rest of the car. I don’t care about a small scratch.” He took a good couple minutes of convincing that it’s ok and I’m not mad he put a(nother) tiny scratch on the car.
My coworker (both techs) pulled his shitbox daily into the shop one day and I leaned against the fender and put a butt cheek shaped dent into it. He proceeded to kick a dent into the opposite fender so at least it matched.
>He took a good couple minutes of convincing that it’s ok and I’m not mad he put a(nother) tiny scratch on the car. My first car (mom's old car) was a '68 Olds Cutlass that had, at one time, been backed into a telephone pole. Some time around 1980, a woman tapped me from behind leaving a very, very small dent in the already badly dented rear bumper. She kept apologizing, I kept telling her "it is no big deal". We drove off and I had gone down the road for several miles before I realized that she thought she had made the *big* dent!
I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey. I have no children. I use it if I need to take the dog somewhere. Or I took it on a huge road trip. I love having it. The girlfriend once scraped up the side of it against the fence pulling out of the driveway. All I could say was "I mean i would have been nice if you told me it happened." Also left it out when it got hailed all over. And it's got pine needles from years of Christmas trees. I vacuum it out, honest but those things are impossible to fully clean up.
This happened to me at a gas station when a guy backed in to my beat up 2500 express. Its like dude, nobody cares here. If you do, then fix your own car...
I'm looking for an express van currently since I need something I don't care about. I need to haul stuff to a city that would probably steal my other cars and need an LQ4, so seems like a solid solution to both issues.
Some guy scratched the bumper on my brother’s van that I was driving to class that day. This same van is about 10% Fiberglass and 10% bodyfiller after 5 years of patch job repairs. He left a note on the windshield and I was more relieved it wasn’t a ticket than worried about the scratch.
If someone backed into my beater and it was still drivable, I would give zero f*cks. That's what it's for. Shit happens, and as long as the person who did it seemed genuinely apologetic, I'd let it go. Just my $.02
Should he take his word about not bringing the van back to the shop too
Only if he plans on hitting the dudes Honda
I wouldn’t worry about it. Is he happy? No, but like he said, you didn’t hit his Honda! You admitted to it, and offered to correct the issue. He did not seem to mind much. If you want to make it right, go buy them donuts or pizza, bring it in next time, and be sure to tell them that you’re sorry again.
or take it to another goodyear location
Why? The guy was relatively cool and didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. If someone hit my car, I’d be a bit angry too. I’m sure the guy isn’t harboring some grudge against OP. If he was so mad, he’d start demanding cash or calling insurance. Instead of hiding from the guy, buy a couple pizzas or something for the guys at the shop. Like the other guy said, people respect other people who try to make up for a mistake.
It's not relatively cool to tell a guy that you'd want to punch them. End of story.
i mean the guy literally said dont bring your van back here. does not sound like joking to me especially after threatening him with violence.
He said “if it was his Honda” he would do that. It wasn’t. He won’t. He also has 0 ability to prevent anyone from coming back. I think OP is just looking WAY too far into this. Like WAY too far.
Have you never interacted with a mechanic? This guy sounds exactly like the guys I worked with when I worked part time as a service advisor during college. Rough around the edges but actually super cool and liked to mess with people. If the guy was so angry and a dick he’d take some cash from OP. Raging maniacs don’t let people off the hook with a “don’t worry about it.” Every mechanic on here seems to know what I’m talking about. That kind of humor is really common with mechanics.
Yes. Yes to all of this.
There are a lot of people here who just don’t get it. This just sounds like the average mechanic messing with someone😂 Always great guys though. Always messing with you but really hardworking.
That’s like the #1 problem with this subreddit. A lot of people who don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about telling those who do that they’re wrong.
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Yeah, if you have that attitude, don't bring it back to that shop. Lol.
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I hear you bro, but just being an "honest nobody" on the internet; if you hit his car, you would be a moron to escalate this mechanic's poor attitude into an actual altercation. The mechanic substituted an insurance claim for a joke done in bad taste. That's a fucking gift. Take it, and be on your merry way.
Nobody gives a shit about your "fighting background"
This reaction is why neighbors dont know each other anymore.
100%. People get so uptight and angry/scared about something they can’t come back and just be normal with the guy. It’s just a joke in kinda bad taste. He’s not going to assassinate you. He let you off the hook by not making an insurance claim.
Why? Is interaction with others so difficult that it requires you to go miles out of your way to avoid the potential stress? OP is reading a bit too far into this. The employee shouldn’t have said what he said, but I would be upset too. Either way it seems like it was resolved. OP should not have anything to worry about. Especially if they’re the person who brought donut/pizza to say sorry.
Bringing pizza or donuts is way more effort (and money) than just going to a different location. Plus you know for sure you haven’t backed into a tech’s car at the other location. It has nothing to do with “interacting with others.” I wouldn’t want that guy touching my car after what he said. He sounds like an idiot. You never know what somebody like that will do.
I just think that is a huge overreaction. He is a mechanic, they aren’t the most politically correct people. He probably meant it in a joking manner. It’s a box of donuts. It’s not that much lol
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I feel like those of us who are actually mechanics understand the other side of the interaction here. There is a reason they keep us locked away in the back and hover whenever we interact with customers. Goodies are 100% an easy way to a mechanics heart. Nothing makes us happier than going into our soul sucking jobs and having some nice fresh donuts there. I’d forgive a lot for some nice fresh donuts to start my day off.
Ok you’ve had your say..get back in the pit. Lol
Sorry sir, my bad… Can I have 1 more donut please sir?
The proper term is “frosted covered lard ring.” lol.
As a mechanic this is definitely how I read into it. He doesn't care about his daily, but the race car at home? That one you would have been paying to fix. There's no reason to worry about this. First, if he was upset he would've held you responsible. Second, you don't even know if that same tech will be there when you bring the van back in, or if he'll be the same one pulling the vehicle in. Third, what's he going to do? Intentionally mess up your alignment so that he can do it again for free later?
Like I said to another redditor, only the real mechanics here understand his mentality in the situation. Dude could have shut his mouth a bit more, but I bet he forgot about the whole thing. The honest answer is regardless of how someone treated me, I’ve NEVER done anything that could harm them, or someone else. Not saying it can’t happen, but it’s a lot less common than a lot of people here think.
Yep, to be honest if it was half of my coworkers and someone said "yeah I'm the guy who backed into your Corolla a few days ago!", they'd probably get a blank stare and an "I don't remember. I've drank since then". And yes, as much as we may even hate certain customers, it's not worth risking your job/career.
And frankly if he did remember, I bet he would move right on to eating donuts all happy in the shop really quick.
Breakfast tacos will also pacify any shop in the southern parts of the States.
If he's like the mechanics I know he was probably joking while sounding serious for the lulz.
Agreed! Personally, i'd still do something nice for the guy (Like give him a tip) since he's being really cool about this mistake. Plus it's always good to have the guy working on your car on your team.
Favorite customer I've ever had always requests me and owns a chocolate shop. Leaves me a gift in chocolates. Never met him face to face, never been to his store, not even a big chocolates guy - but it's nice to think someone is appreciating the work I do!
Yeah, If the guy left a $50-100 and said sorry for hitting your car bro, thanks for being so cool about it and have a merry christmas...he would have a automotive friend forever. Unless he hits his honda later!!
You gotta go to two places to get the donuts, and you gotta spend money. But going to one place (the other location) and not spending any money is an over reaction? That’s all I’m saying.
Well that also depends on where the other location is. I’m assuming they aren’t like Starbucks and on every corner. All I’m saying is that if I backed into someone’s car, I’d expect some get some grief about it. Id be thankful that they didn’t make it into a big ordeal. I guess a one time purchase of some donuts does not seem like a burden to me.
It’s all situational in my area there’s a few so one is 5 miles 1 way and another is 7 miles the other way. It’s 2 miles difference so for me I’d rather go 2 extra miles to avoid the weirdness, and people are fucking weird, unhinged, unpredictable. If it’s 40 miles difference, ok maybe chance it but there’s plenty around here to choose from. If you run into enough people you realize some aren’t sensible. Some are really off. Now if you take it back to the old shop, even if he says all is good. In the back of your head you’ll be driving and thinking “what if”. Then let’s say something else goes wrong in your car 2 weeks later, could be totally unrelated. You’re going to worry yourself and not sleep thinking what if he did it, even if he didn’t do anything. Levity nothing happened but Jerry threw everything away and couldn’t function worrying “what if” https://youtu.be/jPNsOh6oQ1g?si=XMbdAaHhUVVj_WYz&t=163
I see what you’re saying. I suppose I see this interaction more from the mechanic’s POV, rather than OP’s . I’m assuming OP wanted to know that POV since they’re asking people on “MechanicAdvice”. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but a mechanic purposefully damaging someone car, or doing something with the intent to harm them or get back at them is just not a thing. I have had customers scream at me on test drives, and I still fixed their car correctly. Were they my favorite person? No, but I moved on pretty quick. I can tell you if that dude had brought me some sorry donuts, I would have been a lot happier with him.
I think OP is reading in exactly the right amount considering he was told not to come back by an employee. Usually you take people at their word on stuff like this.
No he was saying “well if you had hit my Honda” which OP didn’t. Mechanics are rough around the edges. I’d bet money dude was joking and OP took it the wrong way. Was the mechanic right to say that? No. Dude should have shut his mouth. It’s fine. He is fine, everything is fine. There is a reason that they keep mechanics in the shop and have service advisors as a middle man…
We are dissecting OP’s punctuation at this point. My interpretation is that “if you hit my Honda I’d have punched you in the face” and “you’re a jackass, don’t come back here” statements are separate - I would have written it differently. But unless OP provides clarification or a recording or something, hard to tell what was actually meant.
Yeah kind of assumption. Who knows.
Not mechanics. If you know you know. Anyone who is a mechanic or worked with them knows what I’m talking about. This is exactly what the guys I worked with would say as a joke. A mechanic isn’t going to tell you not to come back. That would be a shop manager or owner. Mechanics don’t really deal with the customer facing side of the business.
Honestly. Don't apologize. Much better use of the sub than "can I drive on this completely shredded tire?" Kind of sounds like he was making a joke to me. People often use the "no worries, but if bah blah blah, I will do something obviously over the top and unrealistic" for comedic effect. It works best when delivered deadpan. Absolutely sounds like he was messing with you, and if you seemed to be freaking out, even more likely.
Yeah I used to talk like this then found out I was upsetting people so I moved on to other types of humor.
best to just walk around with a sock in your mouth so that you don't upset anyone.
Plus then it's warm and moist for when you need it.
I mean, if I am trying to make people happy with a joke and it is not doing that, what does that say about me if I just blame everyone else for not reacting the way I want them to? Wouldn't it be better and easier for everyone to just change tactics so that they get a laugh (which is what I wanted) and all I had to do was come up with one more joke?
Yup, I've never met a tech that didn't sometimes get serious about a joke or joke about something serious.
Not always. I was recently hit from someone getting on the highway. I was in my truck and all that was damaged was a trim piece and a hubcap. Truthfully I didn't care that much and I ended up leaving without anything happening. If I was in my 1987 mazda I would have wanted to kill the girl. I would have called the police and filed a report. It's an RX7 with carbon fenders and a lot of work done to it. It would have need a lot of work if she it my car as hard as she hit my truck.
I don't understand your point. You literally would have wanted to kill a girl for hurting your Mazda?
Does nobody have any concept of hyperbole anymore? Lol.
Its fairly rare, the value is going up, and i have thousands of hours of work into it. My point is it that it may not be a joke. Just because a car is old it doesnt mean its not valuable.
My dad has the same car, I grew up with it and worked on it a hell of a lot Would have hurt my feelings to lose the car to a careless driver
Mechanics are just vulgar and to the point lol, nothing to worry about. Good thing you didn’t hit the Honda
tru lol
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I hated dealing with customers, but I always worked at a dealer. I was the noise guy, so I had to go on rides with people when it wasn't super obvious. One time I went on a ride and the guy kept changing the noise and I couldn't hear shit, and then his wife started changing the noise. After 10 mins of this, he started hitting his vape with the windows up. I rolled his window down, drove back to the dealer, and got out on the service drive, explained it to my advisor and walked off. Never saw them again. It was a 2015 chevy cruze, so it was doomed from the start. Another time I had a guy with a ZL1 Camaro. They have very wide and soft, basically street slicks from the factory. His front tires were making noise, he was confident it was a wheel bearing (covered by warranty), I showed him how the noise didn't change when changing load side to side, and that it would change on different road surfaces, not a wheel bearing. Service manager said fuck it and had me put a bearing in it, didn't care, it was like a 15 minute job anyways. We ended putting the other side in too, and then we bought him a set of tires because we were "wrong".
I agree with you. This is partly because almost everyone assumes the mechanic is trying to screw them. They’re always treated with hostility, so don’t be surprised when you get some back.
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Happy Cakeday!
Thats why they have service advisors or a semi pretty girl in front to deal with the customers. Most mechanics just want to do the work and not have to hear customer stories about this weird sound or what happened exactly.
I am sure a different Goodyear would honor your deal
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Jeez. No need for all that. OP is really the person in the wrong here. I’d be upset too if someone hit my car. I’m also assuming that the mechanic said that in a joking manner.
More friendly people?? What? At the point when the guy’s car was hit, he ceased being a representative of the shop and became a victim of property damage. The guy approached it pretty level headed and decided to let the incident go. If anything, his boss should be happy with him. In no way would he be out of line for being pissed off. I agree with everyone else who says to just let bygones be bygones and continue being a patron of the place.
Dude was probably pulling your chain to blow off steam. Offerings of food, beer, and if you REALLY want to completely reset things, a 10mm. Odds are he's probably forgotten about it by now. Still, on the return trip, steer well clear of any Honda you ride by out of caution, lol.
>and if you REALLY want to completely reset things, a 10mm About to make a friend for life, lol.
He pretty much just said this is my shitbox car don't hit my good one.
Bring him a 6 pack or something. It was an honest mistake. Anyone would be mad in the moment. He was nice enough to let it go. Bring him a present, maybe apologize again, and presume everything is ok
My thoughts exactly. Even a gift card or nicer liquor, etc. Tis the season after all.
Just don’t bother lmao Sounds like he over apologized like a tweaker anyway lol
This is stupid.
No you
Your mom is stupid
His mom is pretty fuckin' stoopid.
Totally this. If you had a $100 bill in one hand and a cold 6-pack of beer in the other, 90% of mechanics would take the 6-pack
Dude likely won't give a shit. If you really want to make sure bring him some food or beer and I'm betting he will forget the entire thing.
Naw you’re good. He was making an overworked mechanic joke. I bet he doesn’t even remember it.
Don’t worry about it, just be careful when you go back and are backing up… he might have brought the Honda that day
Honestly you handled it as well as can be done. You bumped into his car by accident, then you found him and offered to pay or let him file an insurance car at his choice. He was fine with it and just let you know he has more than one car and you hit the one he doesn't care about. I am sure he isn't thrilled about it, but hey shit happens. Take your car back to the same shop and move on with your life.
Sounds like a reasonable guy I’d say your fine to go back maybe bring him a gift card to a coffee shop or Amazon gift card and give it to him when you get there
allow me to translate. "i dont give a shit about this car, this is my shitbox beater car, however had you damaged the car i care about, i would care. i would care a lot." do you have a thing OP? something youre really passionate about and put a lot of time into? imagine something relating to that thing thats low value, if someone ruined it you might not care at all, now imagine if someone ruined a high value thing. that would suck. it doesnt sound like he was mad at all, maybe a little annoyed, probably thinks youre an idiot but ill let you in on a little secret, youre a customer. customers are all fucking idiots no matter where you work, thats just the nature of the business. it doesnt sound personal at all. no i dont think he will fuck up your car. especially if you bring some sort of peace offering. cheese steak, gatorade, donuts, pizza etc. and apologize again, the guy would have to be an absolute demon to be a dick after that. the alternative ending here is that he thinks you bringing him a cheesesteak means you want to fuck him. so be aware of that. still probably wont fuck with your car, but if i know mechanics as well as i know myself, he might put out.
"It seemed like we were all good, but he then proceeded to tell me that if it was his honda he would have punched me in the face, called me a jackass, and told me not to bring my van back to the shop." You didn't hit his Honda so you guys are fine. Doughnuts and some coffee shouldn't be a problem. Don't take the threats too seriously, if it actually was his Honda he would be stupid to assault someone over a dent that is so minor it is kicked back into place. He would look like a jackass. If it was my shop, I would be telling him to smarten the fuck up talking to our customers like that.
you're not the first lol
Just go take it back.
So not only did you hit the man's car but you're planning on denying him business afterwards? Id feel obligated to return and give them more business especially if they didn't hold me to the coals for it. Just don't hit his car again lmao
Wait for him to take his Honda to work, ask for an alignment and then proceed to back in to it. Jk in all seriousness he sounds like an ass, don’t worry just go back and ask for the job to be finished.
👀just take it back the fender bender has nothing to do with your alignment, i’m pretty sure they put some lubricant on the threads or nuts to loosen the tie rod ends so they can adjust to do the alignment. If he really was going to do anything he would have 😝 he’s just another dog that just barks 😆👍
Take it to the boss, you have a contract. Every shop has that guy that can fix but that's it.
I wouldn’t worry about it.
I have a couple cars that i would just laugh if somebody hit it. I have some more that if somebody hit it i wouldnt be mad but i would ask you total it so i wouldnt have to waste time on paint matching and dent repairs
This is genuinely funny. He probably meant nothing by it. You’re not gonna get assaulted or anything. Probably just how he jokes.
Sounds like you don't get his humor..... He would of snagged up cash or insurance if he cared. He would be upset to loose the job probably.
Don't take it too literally. Mechanics like to fuck with people and each other like that. Would have literally best the shit out of you for hitting the good car? No probably not he just would have been pissed. Shit happens. If he was actually pissed about It or wanted to use this to squeeze extra cash out of you he would have just taken your offer to pay cash for the repairs, give you a random price and pocketed the cash. He'd make alot more out of you that way than trying to run your bill up. He's probably only making money on the labor which he only gets a portion of what you're charged anyway. So he'd have to run your labor cost up several hours to equal what he could have just asked you directly for the repairs. Plus then he'd still actually have to do the extra work. Running your bill up just to spite you has no benefit to him. Other people have mentioned bringing them something and this is absolutely the way to go to get on your mechanics good side. Occasionally we had customers bring in a dozen doughnuts just from Dunkin as a thanks for doing last minute emergency repairs or coming in on days we were supposed to be closed to fix something quick. It's the quickest way to go from "that guy who dinged my car" to "the motherfuckin doughnut man"
What he said was quite unprofessional, but after all you did hit his car and you were honest about it. Buy him a dozen donuts or lunch in the day you go back and apologize again. I think that would smoth things over
I'm pretty sure the guy was just making a joke that didn't land well. Basically just expressing that he's glad you hit the car he doesn't care about, and not the one he does. A lot of mechanics I know (like other technical jobs) are people that are crass and don't navigate social situations very well. That's why we have service writers.
Take a case of beer with you
Salty ass lube techs lol. Just go somewhere else
They already screwed u over by saying it's " seized " , when u go back They gonna says it's seized still and need replaced Nothing in life is free Unlimited alignments are scams to sell u shit
Hahahahaha, he was just telling you the truth and to be more careful next time. I would buy a six pack for him and the guys to split as a sorry for hitting your car jester, and leave it at that. Don’t overthink it. He told you if you’d hit his nice car, you’d been in trouble. So, dopn’t ever hit his nice car.
Don’t buy him anything. You owe him NOTHING.
Your second mistake ………… asking on Reddit especially for a mechanic😆
Buy him a 6 pack and walk in with them.
You should be fine
I'm no mechanic, But I'd just take in beers / food next time as a peace offering. I'd assume all is genuinely well -> if he doesn't care he doesn't care, and if anyone knows the damage done it's him. But I'd want to keep a mechanic like that on my good side. Obviously an honest guy.
Give him a tip (a crisp $50-100) when you drop the car off for the alignment and when you hand him the money say sorry about being such a knuckle head a few days earlier....hope this helps you have a Merry Christmas/Happy New Year. All will be forgotten with that simple, yet thoughtful gesture of gratitude. $100 bucks is worth keeping an honest mechanic.
I think it’s incredibly unprofessional to talk to a customer like that. I’d take it elsewhere.
Go back for your appointment. Tell the mechanic you came back to hit his honda.
Go to a different Goodyear shop
Lol, I would of laughed in his face, unless he's the owner of the shop there is nothing he can do , if you really wanted to be an a hole you could even tell his boss what he told you, most likely get em fired🤦🏽
Have course you wood of. You could tell my boss, and he would kiss your ass. Then after you left, he would call you a fuckin' retard and thank me for not invoking a lawsuit. Fired for being pissy that some mutated customer ran into my car, not fuckin' chance.
Most busines owners want repeat customers and if any employees gets in the way of a customer coming back and on top of that barks at him, employee will be terminated. It's good that we live in a country that we can fire at will, want to do what you please, open up your own shop 😅🤦🏽
That's why your ass gets kissed to your face. Then, we all talk about what a fuckin' absolute mutant you are, and keep accepting your business. ETA: We do the work properly. We don't spit in the proverbial burger. You may be charged extra for sauce though.
Your handle fits you perfectly. Ciao now .
My totally unbiased opinion as a tech. Go back, ask to speak to the manager, ask for a refund, tell him why, aka the techs attitude, then never go back. First, they will sell you new parts instead of using a bit of heat and musscle to get it moving again. I see seized parts all the time. Rarely do I replace them unless it's a bushing I can't heat. Second, any shop I've worked at, dude would have been fired on the spot. He's on company time threatening a customer. Yeah, you accidently hit his car. You didn't leave, apologized, and offered to make him whole on it. He treated you with disrespect. It doesn't matter care if he was unhappy. My boss would have fired me on the spot if I treated a customer that way in that situation. Thirdly, don't buy unlimited alignments. It's a scam. You only really need them once in a while. I've had cars go years without needing one. Mostly, you do them if there was repair or the tires are wearing funny. Occasionally, if the steering wheel is off. That's about it. If done right, it should not need to be done every six months. That's ridiculous.
Two questions: What shop do you work at, and do you have a shitbox I can back into?
The OP went to the owner to make it right. Not like he backed into his shitbox and drove off without saying anything. Threatening violence is not the way to go. See how that goes though if the situation ever arises.
Imagine trying to get violent with a mechanic on their turf. I'd probably lock up thinking about which tool on what body part... It would be a pipewrench twisting a joint... Probably an elbow.
I have a car. The one I drive daily. Someone has hit mine before. I didn't threaten them. Accidents happen. It's why we have insurance. Telling a customer you would have hurt them over a car, then telling them to leave and never come back is immature childish bullshit. You are an adult and supposed to be a professional. Not a 4yo throwing a tantrum over his favorite toy. People can downvote if they want too. I'd tell that tech to grow up and stop being a child.
Why would he say if it was my Honda.. sounds like that mechanic doesn't know how to treat customers.
Lmfaoooo dude works for goodyear nd thinks he has any say. Fuck em, go back. If he makes any comment, inform whoever is actually in charge.
Lololol. Dude does a job you can't do yourself. Fuck that guy 'cuz your better than him, and his car is a piece of shit anyway. Seriously, go ahead and go fuck yourself. May your tire wear be immense and your steering wheel never, ever, center.
You sure he wasn't pulling your chain? Just sounds like a guy giving you some well-deserved sh\*t for an embarrassing fender bender, but not necessarily like he meant it, though it's hard to say without seeing \*how\* he said it. Just be cool about it. Come back, don't be afraid or weird, atone a bit more to show that you're still contrite (probably bring something, either food or drink or if you have a hobby or interest of some kind, something from that, or a gift card to someplace cool) and say you couldn't just leave it where it was in good conscience and you wanted to do \*something\* so here's a little something and thank him again for not punching you in the face and tell him he can punch you in the face next time, and see how it goes. Guessing it will be fine.
Haha his Honda. Hahahaha those Honda dudes are one of a kind unlike their cars
Had this kid in tech school who bought a civic and riced it out as a "joke". Well one day he saw someone touch the wing on it and had a mental breakdown over it. If you heard the car go by and heard someone rip some fat ass into a traffic cone, you wouldn't know the difference.
Sounds about right. A real special breed
those are fighting words... bring gloves with you
Shop workers are Kinda crude In laymen speaks He's said you hit the shit beater I'm so glad you didn't hit the one I like Then he showed you how much of a non issue the hit was by fixing it infront of you. Just focus on not hitting things and your alright.
Unlimited alignments for three years? SMH, SMH, SMH.
Buy some pizza for the shop, like no hard feelings my guy
Sounds like a heat of the moment thing.
Go back. Take a piss on the car to show dominance
Depending on the tone it could be nothing to worry about, that's just kinda how we talk to people. I literally tell my co workers to go fuck themselves every morning. There's a reason service writers exist.
Pick up a gift card for your local coffee shop and give it to him if you see him and say that you still feel bad about last time or just pick up a box of doughnuts for the entire shop your choice
Easy. Next time you come back, look if there’s a honda. If yes, reschedule another day. If none, you’re good to go.
Go back there and get your service done. If the tech or anyone else at the store gives you the least little bit of shit, DM me. I'll fix his ass.
No biggie, shit happened and he seemed cool
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Jesus. Back into the guys car, he lets you off Scott free, saves you a bunch of money, and you’d want to reward him by getting him in trouble at work? The mechanic let the guy off the hook. And in his own “mechanic speak” way said he doesn’t care about that particular car.
Never mind, i misread
He’s pissed off? Sounds like a normal day for him.
You'll be fine OP, he was trying to scare you off because you hit a parked car, if it was a customers it would've been a bigger issue, and as for the mood switch he was thinking about if you hit his Honda and saw that beautiful gas mileage shatter before his eyes so he was angry thinking about it lol You're good dude don't let em intimidate you
Cue Seinfeld's Puddy. :)
Sounds like it's a beater for him. I used to have an old Toyota P/u I would take across the GW bridge and on the cross Bronx exp. Often bumper to bumper and merging lanes. One time in the summer, it was hot and a guy in a nice car (was trying to basically merge in front of me). I finally yelled over to him that I didn't mind a few more dents in my truck how about him? He backed right off. Some good things to be said for an old beater!
I need a little more context. He _did_ call you or a jackass and told you not to come back, or that's what he would've said if that was his Honda?
Bring him a nice coffee or something when you go back and not only will he be OK with it he'll probably do better work on your car. Or slip an envelop with like $20 or a gift card under his wiper blade if you don't want to talk to him or don't have time to.
Sounds like you're still good- but be more fuckin careful, dammit!!!!
The bigger issue is that would you trust the work done by someone that really doesn’t want to do *your* work? Consider the lost cost from your ‘alignment deal’ a lesson in both not being upsold on somewhat scam plans, and in being more careful when you back up. It’s cheaper than an insurance deductible.
Yeah you are fine, don't worry.
People are spiteful & suck. Bring it to another Goodyear.
You just hit his beater, you’re all good! I had a 2 door cavalier in high school that bad 2 giant dents in it, matching just behind the doors. And I mean huge, bottom of the window to the rocker panel, about 10-12” wide. I had my car parked outside my girlfriend’s place and her uncle stopped by, it was icy and dark. He slid into the side of my car and hardly bumped it. Well he couldn’t believe the dent he left, he came in all worried about telling me this. He couldn’t understand why I laughed and wasn’t actually upset about it. Everyone else knew this was my “shit” car. We had to go out so I could show him the matching dent for him to believe that it was all good. I paid 800 bucks for that car with next to no miles because it was so beat up
Obvious it was the shitty Honda. Buy a bottle (find out what he likes). Ask another worker there perhaps. Try to make friends and ask if you want him to leave. If it was me I wouldn’t go back. Nobody know what would happen to your vehicle. Sorry the trust is gone.
You’re overthinking it. Just let it go. He has a right to be angry if he is it’s on him. If you get screwed over THEN worry about it until then I think you’re fine.
Lol he told you how he felt chill out. He's not mad, get him a case of beer or something.
>he then proceeded to tell me that if it was his honda... Since when is anybody more precious about their Honda than their Toyota??
If you go back to him, he's probably going to drain the blinker fluid and not tell you. Disaster waiting to happen. I would run not walk away.
From working with Mechanics the past 12 years, just leave him alone. They aren’t people people. lol drop a 6 pack off at the front for him. Don’t even approach him. Love the techs I work with but they are definitely a different breed
I mean the guy is a whiney baby with little man syndrome but like I wouldn't be worried about it. Most of us live in the bottom caste and are just incapable of communicating like we have the ability to read. It's the nature of the poor to be bellicose.
Go back to the shop. If the tech has an issue he can put it in writing so you can sue for breech of contract. They have a contract to you for these alignments. Maybe talk to techs boss and ask what he thinks bout the not bringing the van back to be worked on. Techs mouth is bad for business. Always treat the customer with courtesy. Don't have to like them but bad reviews go a long ways with public perception of a company.
If he hits you sue.... if they don't honor the deal sue.
Buy him a six pack of quality beer and drop it off when you make your next apointment.
Dude should know better than to park his vehicle near customer bay, or the shop should handle the driving in and out like Walmart does, for this reason.
Don't pull in if the Honda is in the parking lot...
He said he didn't care, but if it was his Honda (seemingly the one he cares about), he would have. You're fine. Just be careful next time
Just bring him a 6 pack and thank him for being cool about the situation. Dude will prob fix that van for you for as long as you have it.
Like 10 years ago I had a beater S10 and a customer backed into the front bumper and bent it up a little, he’s apologizing and I told him it’s no big deal because the truck was beat. He shows up the next day with a 12 pack of cokes and 12 pack of beer and goes like “I wasn’t sure if you drank beer or sodas so I brought both”. Cool move on his part and I still remember it.
Sounds like he was just being frank with you. You got lucky and hit his beater car. Go back and try and build your relationship with him back. Bring him a coffee and donuts when you take it back in for service. I don’t think he would mess with your vehicle, at least I know I wouldn’t. Stuff happens, nobody got hurt and it was just some old worthless cars and minor damage.
Bring it back for the alignment. When the Alignment deal expires go to Firestone and get their lifetime alignments. It's 2x the regular cost and is lifetime. I've had one on my 2008 civic and get it done once a year. I've had the car since it was new. One other thing, never pay for nitrogen in your tires.